CNN
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El Paso, Texas Mayor Oscar Reaser declared a state of emergency Saturday night. immigration surge A man who recently arrived in the community, he says he lives dangerous situation.
The mayor, who previously refused to declare a state of emergency, said “hundreds” of migrants were in danger on the streets while temperatures began to drop, and the situation could get worse. said. Trump-era border policy lifted Wednesdayfederal officials expect will lead to an increase in immigrant arrivals.
“We know the influx on Wednesday will be incredible,” the mayor said at a press conference, after which some officials said the number of arriving migrants had more than doubled since December 21. He added that he estimated that it could become
Considering all these factors, “today felt like the right time to declare a state of emergency,” he added.
Earlier this week, a senior Border Patrol official said: Over 2,400 immigrants came to the United States Near El Paso each day over the weekend, it describes the numbers as a “massive surge in illegal crossings” in the area.
While those numbers have risen and resources in the region are already severely strained, Wednesday was also a policy that has allowed authorities to turn away migrants they have encountered in immigration since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Marks the end of the court order for Title 42. South border.
the deadline is federal government official for a further increase in border crossings.
The mayor of El Paso said he had not previously called for an emergency because local leaders and other partners were able to respond to the arrivals, but added that was no longer the case.
“I said from the beginning that we would call it when our asylum seekers or our community felt unsafe,” Reeser said. said on Saturday. “With hundreds of asylum seekers on the streets today, I truly believe our asylum seekers are not safe.
The declaration will allow local leaders to request additional resources from the state, such as personnel shelters and transportation, the city said in a news release.
An emergency operations center will also be activated and an emergency management plan will be developed to “protect the health, safety and well-being of immigrants and our communities.”
The city added that teams have already been deployed in the downtown area to help arrange transportation and provide shelter for migrants.
Speaking to CNN’s Boris Sanchez before the mayor’s press conference on Saturday morning, one El Paso official said the city’s resources were already stretched thin and what Wednesday’s lifting of Title 42 meant. I was wondering what you meant.
According to El Paso deputy mayor Mario D’Agostino, about “hundreds” of immigrants are being released into the city’s streets each day these days.
“When Title 42 is gone, how will it be added?” D’Agostino said.
Many of the immigrants coming to El Paso aren’t trying to stay, but the city’s infrastructure is struggling to support the surging crowds, he said.
“We have a medium-sized airport and some small bus terminals, but not enough to keep up with normal holiday traffic,” D’Agostino said.
In addition to that traffic, hundreds of migrants try to leave the city every day. “Flights from El Paso, buses from El Paso, we just don’t have the infrastructure to keep up.”
At an evening press conference, D’Agostino said the declaration would allow city officials to participate in larger shelter operations, work with non-profit organizations seeking assistance, provide adequate facilities, and more. I said it would be